Not applicable.
Not Applicable.
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to horseshoeing and, more broadly to the addition to hoofs of various animals needing hoof protection. More particularly, the invention provides the benefits of shoeing to horses and other animals in an especially convenient and effective manner. The invention provides, for example, with respect to horseshoes, for the shoeing of horses with a resin composition that sets up instantly in situ on the horse""s hoof in the near form of a horseshoe and is then trimmed to a perfect shape. The invention enables the periodic renewal of horseshoes with a minimum of effort, readily affords local variation in shoe thickness to compensate for hoof irregularities, and ensures an effective protection for the horse""s hoof.
2. Description of the Related Art
Horseshoes have been fabricated of metals for centuries and more recently from synthetic materials, but always by prefabricating the shoe and then applying the prefabricated shoe onto the horse""s hoof. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,699,861 to Sigafos where a kit for horseshoeing is described. The problems of prefabricated horseshoes, whether of metal or plastic is that the shape of the hoof to be shod varies making the application of a prefabricated shoe a process of trial and error, albeit a highly skilled art. Also, some hoofs need a thicker section in one place than in another. It is economically infeasible to market or inventory all the possibilities that may be encountered.
What is needed is a more flexible approach, one that allows customizing of the shoes to the hoof on site without onerous or costly effort. It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide an in situ shoeing method and product. It is a further object to provide a system for the creation on the hoof itself of the shoe. It is a further object to reduce inventory requirement to merely a dispensable resin system that is applicable to the hoof in custom fashion. A further object of the invention is to extrude onto a prepared hoof shoeing surface an intimate admixture of reactive resin components in a profile approximating the intended shoe, that is non-flowing when applied, and modifiable to the desired exact contour to achieve any thickness, any thickness variation along the extent of the shoe, and of course a precise registration of the deposited resin system with the hoof contour without difficult bending of strong, prefabricated materials. It is a still further object to provide a dispensed resin system typically comprising A and B sides of a resin in the form of reactive thermosetting resin precursors, e.g. comprising urethane resin precursors, that is thixatroped to have a consistency allowing the resin during reaction to a cured or hardened state to stand on the hoof shoeing surface without excessive flow off the surface. Another object is to modify the exotherm in cure that may be sensed by the horse by first laying down a thin layer of resin that has a minor exotherm and after it cures, a matter of seconds usually, depositing the balance of the resin system in the shoe profile. A further object is the provision of an animal or horse shoe of an intended profile comprising the reaction product of reactive resin precursors cured in substantially said intended profile in situ on a horse hoof surface, more particularly a synthetic organic resin horseshoe cured in situ on a horse hoof surface, and the combination of a horse having a hoof, and a synthetic organic resin horseshoe attached to said hoof, said horseshoe having been cured in situ on the horse hoof. Other objects include: forming while shoeing a moisture barrier on the hoof surface, through the adhesion of the applied resin mass to the hoof surface material; providing a repair system for shoed hooves by addition of more resin mass where wear has occurred, which is effective because the resin mass in many embodiments will adhere to its previously cured self; preventing the horse from pulling a shoe, i.e. removing a shoe on an adjacent hoof with another hoof through a purchase gained at the so-called lip protruding rearwardly from the conventional horseshoe by eliminating the lip protrusion altogether with careful tailoring of the shoe so as to be narrow on the hoof; equalizing pressure on the hoof all about the hoof surface as an improvement over the use of nails which become as many as seven or more points of pressure; enabling shoeing of horses whose hooves are worn too much to tolerate nailing, but will accept a shoe formed in situ; adding spring to the horse""s step through the resiliency of the in-situ-formed horseshoe, the profile of which can be modified to add a spring function; improving traction by customizing the shoe bottom surface to the anticipated terrain; adding color at the shoe, bodily or in accents, or other optical effects including patterns and glitter to reflect the stable that trained the horse, or a cause or event; and to have or provide a layer of resiliency at the hoof for comfort and longevity of the horse.
These and other objects of the invention to become apparent hereinafter are realized in a method for building a horseshoe of an intended shape in situ, including cleaning the surface of the shoe area of horse hoof of debris, depositing onto the cleaned hoof surface a flowable horseshoe preform comprising an intimate curable mixture of reactive resin precursors having a depth and width of profile generally conforming to the intended horseshoe shape, adhering the mixture to the shoe area surface, curing the mixture to a non-flowable mass by reaction of the resin precursors before substantial portions of the mixture flows from the shoe area surface, and then locally shaping the horseshoe mass to modify its deposited profile to conform to the final intended horseshoe shape on the shoe area surface.
In this and like embodiments of the invention, typically, the invention further includes selecting as the mixture a mixture that self-adheres to the shoe area surface, precoating the shoe area surface with a thin layer of the mixture having less than 25% of the profile depth of the intended horseshoe shape and a lower exotherm than the full profile depth, and at least partially curing the thin layer before depositing additional mixture onto the thin layer, and selecting as the mixture resin precursors thermosetting resin precursors, such as thermosetting urethane resin precursors.
In a further embodiment, the invention provides a method for building a horseshoe of an intended shape in situ, extruding onto a cleaned hoof surface a flowable horseshoe preform comprising an intimate curable mixture of reactive resin precursors having a depth and width of profile generally conforming to the intended horseshoe shape in the shoe area surface adhering relation, curing the mixture in situ to a non-flowable mass by reaction of the resin precursors to retain substantially all the mixture on the shoe area surface, and then locally mechanically shaping the extruded mass, e.g. with a rasp, to modify its profile to conform to the final intended horseshoe shape on the shoe area surface.
In this and like embodiments, typically, the invention further includes selecting as the mixture a mixture that self-adheres to the shoe area surface, providing the reactive resin precursors in separate chambers arranged for intimate admixture of the precursors in a common passage, and delivering the mixture of the reactive resin precursors from the common passage onto the shoe area surface, selecting as the mixture resin precursors thermosetting resin precursors, such as thermosetting urethane resin precursors, selecting as a side A reactive resin precursor a precursor comprising diphenylmethane diisocyanate and as a side B reactive resin precursor a precursor comprising a polyol, such as a polyoxypropylene ether polyol, and suitably an amine such as a thixatroping amine, e.g. a primary or secondary amine, such as meta xylene diamine, and also a coupling agent, e.g. one comprising a silane in side A and/or side B in amounts of from 0.1% to 5% and preferably about 3% by weight of the resin precursor mixture. A fumed silica can be added to thixatrope the mixture, e.g. in both side A and side B in amounts of from 3 to 10% by weight in each side, and maintaining in the reactive resin precursor mixture from 3 to 10% by weight fumed silica.
In a further aspect of the method, as noted above, there can be a precoating of the shoe area surface with a thin layer of a mixture of reactive resin precursors having less than 5 to 15% of the profile depth of the intended horseshoe shape and a lower exotherm than the full profile depth, and at least partial curing of the thin layer before extruding additional mixture onto the thin layer.
The invention further contemplates the products of the foregoing methods.
In another, more compositionally specific, form of the invention method, the invention provides a method for building a horseshoe in situ including cleaning the surface of the shoe area of horse hoof of debris, extruding onto the cleaned hoof surface a flowable horseshoe preform comprising an intimate curable mixture of urethane resin precursors comprising diphenylmethane diisocyanate, polyoxypropylene oxide polyol, and meta xylene diamine (1,3-benzene dimethane amine) depth and width profile greater than the intended horseshoe shape, maintaining fumed silica in the mixture in an amount effective to keep substantially all of the mixture on the shoe area surface, curing the mixture to a non-flowable mass in less than one minute, and shaping the horseshoe preform to reduce its profile to a final intended horseshoe shape on the surface, and the product of this method.
In another, more apparatus specific, method, the invention provides the method for building a horseshoe of an intended shape in situ including extruding onto the cleaned hoof surface from a common mix tip communicating with separate reactive resin precursors in first and second chambers a flowable horseshoe preform comprising an intimate curable mixture of the reactive resin precursors at a profile depth and width generally conforming to the intended horseshoe shape, adhering the mixture to the shoe area surface, curing the mixture to a non-flowable mass by reaction of the resin precursors within less than about one minute, and locally shaping the horseshoe mass to modify its extruded profile to the final intended horseshoe shape on the surface.
In its further product aspects, the invention provides a horseshoe of an intended profile, the horseshoe comprising the reaction product of reactive resin precursors cured in substantially the intended profile in situ on a horse hoof surface, a synthetic organic resin horseshoe cured in situ on a horse hoof surface, in combination: a horse having a hoof, and a synthetic organic resin horseshoe attached to the hoof, the horseshoe having been cured in situ on the horse hoof, and in combination: a horse having a hoof, and a synthetic organic resin horseshoe attached to the hoof, the horseshoe having been cured in situ on the horse hoof from an intimate curable mixture of urethane resin precursors comprising diphenylmethane diisocyanate, polyols, and meta xylene diamine and fumed silica deposited on the hoof at a depth and width profile approximating the intended horseshoe shape.
In its broader aspects, the invention provides hoof shoes for beeves and like hoofed animals, and a method therefor including building a animal hoof shoe of an intended shape in situ including cleaning the surface of the shoe area of hoof of debris, extruding onto the cleaned hoof surface from a common mix tip communicating with separate reactive resin precursors in first and second chambers a flowable hoof shoe preform comprising an intimate curable mixture of the reactive resin precursors at a profile depth and width generally conforming to the intended hoof shoe shape, adhering the mixture to the shoe area surface, curing the mixture to a non-flowable mass by reaction of the resin precursors within less than about two minutes, and locally shaping the hoof shoe mass to modify its extruded profile to the final intended hoof shoe shape on the surface, the hoof shoe product so made, and specifically a synthetic organic resin hoof shoe cured in situ on a hoof surface per se and in combination with such a hoof.
In another aspect the invention provides a moisture-proofing of the shoed hoof surface, the method including protecting a horse hoof from moisture accumulation between shoe and hoof, including cleaning the hoof surface of debris and forming on the cleaned hoof an adherent resin mass that adheres to the hoof surface in moisture excluding relation.
In other aspects the invention provides the method of protecting a horse hoof from uneven pressure on the hoof from horseshoe, including clearing from the hoof all nails and previous shoe, and forming on the cleaned hoof an adherent resin mass that adheres to the hoof surface in shoe-forming relation, the method of maintaining a horse hoof shoe against wearing from an intended shape, including cleaning the shoe surface of debris, and restoring the intended shape to the shoe through the added application of an adherent resin mass that adheres to the hoof surface, the method of increasing the stepping comfort of a horse, including providing and maintaining as the horse hoof shoe a shoe comprising a resin having a resilience to be reduced temporarily in vertical profile when the horse puts its weight upon the shoe, and a synthetic organic resin hoof shoe hardened in situ on a hoof, the hoof-shaped resin exhibiting an optical effect other than its natural appearance.